France will no longer require passengers on trains, metros, busses and domestic flights to wear masks starting Monday, 16 May, lifting one of the last remaining Covid measure in the country. And the European air safety authority will no longer recommend masks be worn on flights within the EU.
While wearing masks “remains recommended” on public transportation, requiring them is "no longer appropriate" given the recent drop in Covid cases, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday.
Soon after the announcement, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it will no longer recommend medical masks be worn at airports and on planes starting on Monday.
The new guideline “takes account of the latest developments in the pandemic, in particular the levels of vaccination and naturally acquired immunity, and the accompanying lifting of restrictions in a growing number of European countries,” EASA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a joint statement.
Calls to respect rules and others
Mask rules may still vary by airline on flights to or from destinations where the rules are different.
For example, Germany's Health Ministry said it will continue to require all passengers over the age of 6 to wear masks on flights to, from or within the country.
EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky urged passengers to “behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them” and to “strongly consider wearing a face mask” if they are coughing and sneezing, to reassure those nearby.
Masks still required in French hospitals
France, which ditched most Covid mask rules in March, still requires them and a health pass proving Covid vaccination or inoculation, to enter hospitals and nursing homes.
People who test positive for Covid must still isolate for at least seven days.
On Tuesday, 56,449 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours, mainly the Omicron variant, according to health ministry data. The numbers of patients in hospitals have also been steadily decreasing in recent weeks.
In March authorities began offering a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose to people aged 80 and over, and Veran said a new booster campaign for the general population could be necessary in the autumn if new variants emerge.
(with wires)
